Snacks to the rescue!

 

The best way to keep your energy up all day at work is simply not to allow it to go down. Your workload, concentration, environment and fatigue all chip away at your energy level all day long. Could your midday snack actually be making you more fatigued?

You can literally feed your mental clarity and productivity by adding the right snacks between meals. Junk food like candy bars or greasy potato chips will only serve to sabotage you by flooding your body with insulin, causing a brief boost of energy, immediately followed by feelings of drowsiness and hunger. Proteins, fats, and fiber rich foods often have a low glycemic index. The slower release of sugar into the bloodstream will help satisfy your appetite longer and provide longer periods of sustained energy.

When it’s time for an energy-boosting snack, choose one of these:

·         A piece of fruit like an apple or banana

·         An ounce of almonds or walnuts

·         Kale chips

·         Hummus and veggies

·         A hardboiled egg

·         Unsweetened yogurt

·         Baked, whole wheat crackers

 What’s your favorite midday snack?

 

How to keep your energy up all day.

 

As much as the actuaries we know love their jobs we know firsthand that there are those days, or times of day, when energy wains and it’s a struggle to focus and be productive. Unless you work for the most liberal of organizations, napping isn’t an option. You could opt for a lunchtime snooze, if you don’t totally skip a meal, as that will only leave you more depleted.

What else can you do? It goes without saying that the best hedge against fatigue is a good night’s sleep. When you are feeling tired, it’s a good time to promise yourself an early bedtime for the coming night, and even make a plan around it: perhaps a few full body stretches before dinner, no TV or at least nix the drama shows, get in bed early with some soft music or headphones and a guided meditation to lull you into a relaxed state.

That might help for the next day, but here are some recommended strategies to get through the current workday. Number one is getting and keeping hydrated. Health practitioners recommend one ounce of water for every two pounds of body weight.  For example, if you weigh 150 pounds you should be drinking 75 ounces of water per day. It takes commitment, but you can start immediately and quickly feel results. Drinking more water will have you getting up more often to use the rest room. That’s great because it gets you up and away from your desk. Taking a quick walk is another energy boosting strategy. While you are up, try running up and down a flight of stairs. Doing so will increase your heartrate and get you breathing more deeply- which is another strategy you can repeat sitting at your desk.

Many people turn to caffeinated drinks for a boost, but remember caffeine is also a diuretic so it will undo some of the hydration you are working to gain.    

Finally, when you do sit back down in your chair, make sure you adjust the height so you’re in a 90-90-90 position; feet flat on the floor or on a foot rest and your knees and hips bent at 90-degree angles. Keep your lower spine flat against the back of the chair to maintain proper curvature. This helps to keep your newly amped energy flowing through your body.

In our next post, we’ll share what we learned about energy-boosting snacks that will help too.

How do you pump up your energy at work?

Part Two: Six confidence-boosting tips for speaking up in meetings.

In Part One, we talked about what you can do before the meeting starts: do some advanced prep on relevant topics surrounding the meeting agenda; arrive a few minutes early and plan what you want to contribute.  The next three tips will help you during the meeting itself:

Pay Attention.  You already know that interacting with your own personal technology (cell phone or computer/tablet) is never a good idea at a meeting, but they aren’t the only distractors. It’s easy to float off into our own thoughts if we aren’t actively engaged in what’s going on around us. To contribute and you must be engaged in the meeting and what is being discussed. It’s essential to your success as a contributor.

Don’t underestimate the value of your ideas. How many times have you been on a project or had an idea during a meeting you were in, but you were afraid to voice it? Then someone else did and the idea was a hit. Hit or miss, remember that you have been included in the meeting for a reason. Your skills, knowledge and role are valued. Your ideas are a part of your success already. Once you have the confidence to share your thoughts, you will want to consider speaking up early in the meeting, before someone else shares the same idea. Also, the sooner you contribute, the better the impression you will make and the quicker you can eliminate your lingering self-doubt.

Ask questions. One way to contribute in a meeting and not have the focus be on you or your answers is to ask questions. Thoughtful and pertinent questions are another way to showcase your ability to think “around the corner”, demonstrate your abilities to consider the future and eliminate roadblocks. Showing that you are interested and engaged is the best posture for success. As you share more, you will notice that people will begin to engage you and seek out your opinions.  

Part One: Six confidence-boosting tips for speaking up in meetings.

Some of the actuaries we interview tell us that they are not as comfortable speaking up in meetings they would like to be. If you are one of the hesitant ones, you are missing some golden rungs on the advancement ladder. The preparation to change that is not as difficult as it might seem. Here are the first three of six tips for ramping up your successful participation:

Be prepared. Make sure you are up to speed on recent developments that might impact the meeting topic. Have any materials or backup information available that could be relevant to the goals of the meeting. Make sure you know the attendee list. Check the list to see if there are people you don’t know. It’s always a good idea to know who is in the room, and what role they play. Knowing your audience will help you think about and present your ideas in context.

Arrive a few minutes early. Why should you arrive early? First it assures you a seat at the table, and allows you to choose where you want to sit. Remember, the head of the table is typically reserved for the person who is running the meeting. Arriving early gives you the edge and allows you to make good impression by greeting others as they arrive. Also, if someone you don’t know is attending, you can make your mark by introducing yourself.  Another reason to be early is that, while many people think that rushing in at the last minute makes them look important, it actually makes them look like bad time managers, and not in control of their resources. Those are two unfavorable characteristics for a leader.

Decide ahead of time that you will contribute.  If you are hesitant to speak or shy you will likely be passed over in the meeting, and that may contribute to being overlooked in other areas. Often meetings include people, some influential, whom you may not work for or with. These people will see your behavior in the meeting as indicative of your capabilities. You must find your own way to contribute. If you hate speaking up, maybe you can draft some ideas on paper and distribute them at the appropriate time. It takes a little planning to get started as a contributor, but it will be well worth the effort.

To be continued.

Oh NO! It's going to be a lunch interview.

It doesn’t happen often, but sometimes an interview involves a meal. When it does, you need to know how to handle the extra logistics of eating and interviewing. Here are a few tips to help you.

Hopefully, you will have advanced notice that the interview involves a meal. If you have been told the name of the restaurant, it’s smart to go to their website and decide in advance what to order. This removes the pressure of reading the menu and making choices on the spot. It’s a really good idea to choose a small meal that is easy to eat with a fork and knife, instead of a sloppy sandwich. Remember, that you will be doing a lot of the talking, so it’s good to choose something easy to chew! You would never want to talk with your mouth full, but chewing can be a good tactic to give you time to think about how you can answer a difficult question.

 

Be polite to the wait staff. Order without a fuss, no demands or mention of food issues or allergies. And if you are in doubt, sparkling water is a great choice for a beverage. It’s adult and non-alcoholic.

 

Because there will likely be more social time than a regular interview, it’s smart to have some relevant or casual current events you can introduce while waiting for service. Keep it simple and non-political.  

Finally, it’s perfectly fine to allow you’re interviewer to pick up the tab, you are the guest.

Do you want to be at your best for that upcoming interview?

Food might not be on your checklist when you are prepping for an interview. Perhaps the idea of a job interview might even take away your appetite, but don’t skip good nutrition before the appointment. What you eat can have a marked effect on your performance. To be at your best, plan to eat at least an hour before, so that the good-food energy is flowing to your brain.

It doesn’t matter if it’s a morning or afternoon interview, you can’t neglect the boost in energy and alertness that healthy food will provide. Don’t just grab a bagel or muffin. Carbs are quick energy, but won’t give you the staying power you may need. In fact, studies show that two hours after consumption, eating carbs results in tryptophan levels four times higher than eating protein. Tryptophan is actually an amino acid that is used in sleep medications!

What should you eat? Opt for protein. For breakfast, a spinach and egg white omelet is a good choice.  Proteins have staying power and will ramp up your mental alertness. If it’s an afternoon interview, salmon or chicken is good, but stay away from turkey (the tryptophan again!).

Of course, caffeine is one thing that boosts alertness, so if you like it, have a cup of coffee. Researchers have found coffee enhances short-term memory performance, and helps improve attention capacity and problem-solving skills. But don’t overdo. Too much coffee will not only make you a jittery, nervous wreck; even worse, you may find yourself in the position of needing a mid-interview bathroom break.  

What do you have in common with Peyton Manning?

You may not think that an actuarial career has anything in common with the career of an NFL super-star quarterback like Peyton Manning, but it does, or at least yours should.

At the 2015 Leadercast Live event broadcast worldwide from Atlanta in May, Manning’s 20-minute presentation was one of eight from impressive leaders who spoke on the conference theme “The Brave Ones” all about breakthrough performance and leadership.

Manning is a lively and engaging speaker. His talk enlightened the audience about the focus, dedication and determination it took for him to become the best at his craft. He made it clear it wasn’t supreme talent as much as a singular relentless pursuit to improve his skills. He attributes a major part of his success to his father, and the coaching he received from him and others. Manning says that even today he absolutely wants and relies on coaching. As a matter of fact, he gets angry if he doesn’t get it.  “It doesn’t matter how seasoned we are, everyone needs a coach . . . As soon as someone stops wanting to be coached, taught or mentored I think they are in big trouble,” said Manning. 

What he made so clear was that the invaluable thing about coaching is the perspective gained from having a person who is looking out for our best interests. Our coaches can see the areas where we could benefit from some feedback and guidance on how we can become he best we can be. Everyone’s career goals should include the guidance of a coach.